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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: stick · mine · swing · wake · fall · root · last · toast

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. root — of a plant
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. mine — for digging
  7. last — to go on
  8. swing — music
  9. root — of a word
  10. toast — bread
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. wake — a trail
  13. swing — to play on
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. root — the cause
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — the season
  20. swing — in golf
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. last — final
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. last — finally

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com